A lesson in Australian-ese

after being corrected at work for my "mispronounciation" of simple english words, i thought i would share with you some interesting "aussie speak". i will try to type it as best as i can for you to understand what i mean.

chart = chaaaht (they had no idea what i was looking for at work until i i said "file" and she said "oh, chahht")
perth = peuth
fremantle = fruhmanle
mandurah = mandra
aluminum = aloominEum (differnent emphasis then us as well)
canada = canadar
law and order = lore end oda
far = faaah
catch ya (later) = catcha
debut (as in premier) = dabou

mail = post
garbage can = bin
garbage = rubbish
full = chockers (pronounced chokahs)
tough = full on
cool = cool as... (they leave you hanging. we're thinking of asking "yes. go on. cool as what?")
football (aussie rules) = footy
soccer = soccer :)
how are you? = how ya goin'? (on foot?)
fries = chips (but so do canadian chips also = chips. how's that for confusing)
burger king = hungry jack's
wal-mart = Big W

that's all we can think of right now, though we know that we've been exposed to many more. they add R's wher they aren't (warsh, australiar, etc) and take them away from where they are (car = cah, earth = euth) another thing we've noticed is that they enjoy abbreviating EVERYTHING. ie, fremantle = freo, football = footy, rottnest island = rotto and so on. to the point that when we say fremantle, i don't think they know what we mean. silly canucks!

we'll continue this lesson at a later date.
xo

1st week of real life (and happy birthday maya and ryanne!)

it's been a busy week since my last post. john and i have both started our real lives. no longer are we simply lounging about, frolicking on the beach (though we still are) and pretending like we're on vacation. no, in fact, we are actually working and going to school. we are *sigh* adults again.

<-- View of Perth from the park

but don't get me wrong, it has been a good week. i've been doing quite the commute to this locum position that i'm covering. unfortunately, i'm there to cover if the other physios don't have room for patients. so i'm not very busy. apparently february is a very slow time for physio in australia. but it is good to get the rust out because i'd like to be ready for my full time job when i get there.

john's done a full week of class already (1 week down, so many more to go). he's really enjoying it for the most part. a few profs will be a bit of a challenge, but then, what is university if you don't have 1-2 profs that you thoroughly dislike. and we found out that he got one more course credited, so he no longer has to overload this term, which is nice. saves us a bit more money, and gives him a bit more free time. i'm hoping he'll learn how to do adjustments soon because i think i could use one...

--> King's park

last weekend, we went up to king's park. it was beautiful. so green and lush (compared with the dry looking grass and dying trees in other areas). the grass is so short and well kept, that it feels like you're on a golf green. it had some pretty spectacular views of perth and the ocean. we ate our lunch overlooking perth and then decided to explore some of the trails. one of them has a short "tree top" bridge. we also walked some of the more "rustic" trails. i was rather enjoying myself until john pointed out the potential for dangerous snakes in the area. we found a cafe in the park and enjoyed some cold drinks in the family area of the park whle we watched many families play cricket and toos a rugby ball around. john and i were trying to understand cricket and decided to give up, because it's a pretty lame sport.

--> Tree top walk in the trail

yesterday we had a productive day of work (yes, on a saturday), then we hit the market to get some food and we ran a few other errands while we were out with the car. we went to the beach later in the afternoon because it was incredibly hot again. we were enjoying tossing a frisbee around in the water. so refreshing.

our evenings this week have been pretty quiet as we try to adjust to our new schedules. but last night we went to see a film at the outdoor film festival in fremantle. "nicotina", a mexican movie. it was really well done. such a fun environment to watch movies. a giant outdoor screen and a lot of very comfortable lounge-ish chairs (or plenty of room on the grass for blankets). you can bring in anything you want, except your own alcohol because they sell it there. they usually have entertainment relating to the theme or country of the movie (last night, the singer was sick, so we had recorded music instead) and they always have food available (again, related to the country of the movie). last night, they also had some makeshift margaritas, which were incredibly tasty. i meant to take pictures, but i left our camera in the beach bag. oops.

<-- Boab tree

i have found another ultimate team to play with. well, john found it for me. it's an all-girl team, who are hoping to go to nationals in melbourne in a few months. they are short a few players so i'll be joining them. my first practice is on thursday. hopefully i measure up. i'm told that it's a bit more of a recreational-competitive team, who feel that they will take a beating at nationals, so that's a bit more up my alley.

a big happy birthday to maya (on the 24th) and ryanne (on the 25th). i hope you both have/had wonderful birthdays! --> John on the trail in King's park

xo

Our new (used) car and other pictures

yes, we did it. we bought a car. it's new to us, used to everyone else. it's a really nice honda civic hatchback. it's old but has very few kms on it, is in amazing condition and drives really nicely. standard on the other side is a bit of a challenge, but we're getting better at it already.

today we're off to the market and then to kings park. it's a 4km square park in the centre of town. we're taking our rollerblades in the hopes of actually getting to explore it on wheels, but we're not sure if it has that kind of trail.

enjoy the pics. they're a bit random
xo


john with the new (used) car

me, with the new (used) car

john, in mandurah, looking over the water

this is what i meant by "things grow up". look carefully at the orientation of growth on this pine tree relative

amazing sunset on our way home from mandurah

i know you can't see it well, but these birds were fighting (or play fighting, we're not sure) for about 10 minutes. it was ridiculous. i've never seen birds act like that. (and yes, they either are parrots, or just really really look like them)

me, in the random art on mandurah's harbourfront

john, shouting into the random art on mandurah's harbourfront

Rain! (and happy birthdy beattie!)

today is the first day of "inclement" weather that we've had so far. and by that i mean, a light dusting of that summer-type rain that smells just right and lets you know it's raining, but it's still warm. most perth-ites will tell you that it's cold today, but it's still 28 degrees right now. hardly cold by any canadian standards.

but rain is good. in this state, there is a severe drought going on right now. and i mean severe. water shortage is the heated topic of discussion in the paper and on the news. the rivers are drying up. the government is trying to figure out how to have water shunted this way from other areas. you have to ration your reticulation or sprinklers, as we know them (which amazes me that they're still allowed to use them, but whatevs) and they're hoping to pass a law making it mandatory to have water savers on all your taps, etc. all this, and they're thinking of increasing the cost of water to make people waste less. crazy. so rain, in my opinion, is good.

the only people who aren't happy about this weather are the ones swimming the ridiculous 40km open water (ocean, that is) swim to rottnest island on saturday morning. you can do it solo or in teams of 2-10 people, with little boats following you along. i may go out to watch, as we've been told it's quite the spectacle. hundreds of people piling into the water in many heats, hoping to beat the record time. 40km swim? you've got to be crazy! i was hoping to take in rottnest island soon, but this weekend would be a bad one, so it'll have to wait.

i've accepted an offer for work. it's a little way out, but it's full time. and i've just accepted to do some locum work while i wait for this position to start. yay! john started his orientation yesterday. he's getting excited to start classes and have a schedule again. it seems that life is starting to shape up for us. always nice.

erin beattie- happy birthday! hope you're having a wonderful day (or will have, more accurately)

laura- i'll post more pics soon. perhaps after we explore a little more this weekend.

xo

she walks!

we kept our rental car a little longer then expected. mostly because we kept thinking of other things we needed to get done. and also because i had to get down to an interview about 30mins away from our place. it was nice to have the car for yet another weekend. while we were down at the job interview, we decided to explore a few other areas in the south of perth. some pretty stunning regions. mostly old beach towns that have suddenly boomed to 70-90000 people. we explore Rockingham and Mandurah. 2 cities that would be amazing to live it because they still have a small downtown, right on the water and they are a bit more reasonably priced then finding a place here. if you like being 30 mins out of a major city...

we also made a big purchase this weekend. a new computer. and not just any computer might i add, but a swanky iMac G4 with built in camera and huge memory, airport express and so on. it came second hand from a guy who bought it and realized that none of his work stuff was compatible. so lucky us, we got a steal of a deal. we've put it in our living room to replace the old, malfunctioning tv and even tried our some dvd's. they work, so if you are sending a care package, keep that in mind. Ry, grey's season 3 started on sunday, but we couldn't watch it becaue we haven't seen the end of season 2. so when you buy season 3, burn it and send it along to us.

we are currently contemplating the purchase of a car. it's a good deal and would make my commute to this job a lot nicer. i have to accept the job to decide if it's worth it for us. but i imagine, sooner then later, you'll be seeing a picture of our new, used car. lol.

as for the title... my neice walks! yay! eric sent me the cutest video of alyssa walking. while i'm sure it wasn't the first time, it felt like it to me. got me a little watery eyed. they're so darn cute!

we bring our rental car back today, but that won't stop us from hitting up the beaches and many wonderful parks. john's orientation week is on this week, so he has some events to attend. i'll be going to a few of the "family and friends" events...which are mostly designed for the 17 year old freshman and his parents, but it'll be fun, i'm sure.

miss you all!
xo

Pictures! (finally)

the start of our trip in the Vancouver Airport

the end of our trip, in Perth (tired?)

day 1- exploring fremantle and the the ports

sunset on our first day

first beach day

first dip in the Indian ocean

testing out the waterproof digital... i was a bit nervous, but it works! ...as you can see

our yard (different now with the addition of a hammock chair - thanks ladies- and some patio furniture)

me, getting into the *eek* left side of the car

beach along the coastal drive

new beach (new bikini too!)

the entrance to our house

the entrance to our villa area -- very tree-ful, plant-ful and shady. it's almost like living in an aviary (?) because of the crazy amounts of birds

i will be posting an Ophoto album sooner or later, with all of the pictures that we'll have. and, i realized i forgot my his/her bike pics...oops.

xo

1 car + 2 people + lots of time = fun! (and happy birthday erin and andrea)

it's been a while since my last post, i know. but when you have a car at your disposition, and you're paying to use it for that one week, you use it as much as you can. or so it seems, anyhow. well, that's what we did anyhow. from the day we picked it up, we drove. drove drove drove. it was very handy to get to know the area, as australian's seem to love naming every 20 square meter area a "suburb" and determining which suburb is where is quite tricky for me applying to jobs. the car mad that easier. i dropped off goodness knows how many resumes, but hopefully it pays off. i have an interview on friday, so we'll see.

we had a lovely time with dave on friday. we went up to meet him in joondalup (yes, that's the name of the 'burb he lives in) it's about 30km north of us. and it's really suburbia at it's best. perhaps a little like orleans. ever expanding, but nothing really there. a good night at the thai restaurant nonetheless.

we discovered many suburbia areas whilst-with-car. we even made it to ikea. though let me tell you, it's a slightly different experience here. it's smaller, not as much fun stuff to just buy (which is probably a good thing) but also, no large warehouse at the end. turns out (as we learned) that you have to place your order while shopping, then pay, then go pick it up in a warehouse a few meters away. odd, no? apparently a new ikea is being built. a bigger, more usual ikea.

it's amazing though, how purusing shopping districts can make it feel like home. what with ikea, body shop, esprit, home dept (aussie version but same thing), etc, you would hardly notice you were in a different country...if it weren't for the accent, odd sayings and bloody heat!

we also took advantage of the car to hit up a few different beaches. mostly heading to them around this time of day (sometimes later). the sun here is hot, so i'm not concerned if i'm only "tanning" between 4-6pm. i'm still tanning. with a 30spf on. amazing.

driving on the left wasn't all that bad. minus the occasional lapse and near turning the wrong way, i did pretty well. turns out australians must forget to drive left as well, because there are signs everywhere that say "be safe. stay left". there is a large chance that we will invest in a car (2nd hand, most likely) to give us the freedom to explore the entire state of WA, and to pick up our friends when they come visit... *hint hint*

katie, we bought tim tams. i hope they're as good as you say. john bought chocolate ones, but i don't think they are the "original". we'll be sure to try them all.

erin and andrea, happy birthdays! erin i'm a few hours late for yours and andrea, i'm early (though i guess technically on time now) but i hope you both have (had) wonderful exciting days!

i'm posting pictures right now, i swear.
xo

To the left, to the left

i appologize for getting that beyonce song in your head, but trust me, it was in my head all day. that's because i keep having to remind myself to stay on the left (to the left, to the left). it's not as bad as i thought. at first, it required a ton of concentration and me telling john not to talk to me while i'm driving. now, it's better. reversing into a parking space is a trick still and getting used to looking up to the left for the rearview is also tricky. but, the most frustrating thing of all, is when i freakin' hit the windshield wiper instead of the signal because it's on my left. urgh. oh well, like i said, i am getting better at it.

good news: we found out yesterday that john's entire first year at chiro school has been given to him because of his degree in kin. so yay for us! he does have to take one class, but that's it, so he's going to overload his first term.

we've been busy dropping off resumes and going to interviews. yes, both of us. john's looking for work as a personal trainer. me, obviously, as a physio. though, if the money's right, i could get into the mining industry...

hopefully we'll hit the beach today, since it's getting hot for the weekend again. and we're meeting up with fellow canadian (and cornwall-ian at that) Dave Frost for a drink (maybe dinner) tonight. what are the odds that there are more then one person from cornwall in perth?

i'm going to post a few pics in a new post, instead of going through all the other ones and adding pics there. there aren't any of the inside of our house because it's not quite up to par for pictures yet.

xo